Where Light Dies

50. Where Their Paths Crossed

Muffled noises crept into his head. There were people cheering, the sound of drums thundering banged against the walls of whatever he was confined in. All he could remember was the memories he'd struggled to forget, the pain that they bought with them.

A gentle haze clouded his vision as he opened his eyes, slowly clearing up. He was in a dark room, the only sliver of light coming from the door in front of him. Shuffling forward, he opened the door.

No.

His mind struggled to make sense of what he saw.

"Where the hell am I?"

-- Valhalla, the Arena -- Zero hour, Day Zero --

The crowd screamed in excitement, waiting eagerly for bloody mayhem. Blake stood dazed, looking all around him in confusion. He was standing in a pit, covered in sand that had been bathed in the stench of rotting flesh. The walls around him had been showered with metal spikes, doors included. The ceiling to the pit was sort of thin wire mesh, a couple of meters above his head. Beyond the mesh were the spectators, people dressed in sleek armors rather than clothes.

What the fuck is going on?

In front of him stood Reyna, a black bruise spreading over half of her swollen face. Blake ran over to her as her knees gave way. Crouching down to her level, Blake took her face in his palms. Blood had caked up next to her cheekbone, the skin swollen black and blue from whatever caused this. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"It's not much," she muttered, a sadness washing over her features.

Unlike Blake, she'd been awake for nearly an hour now, and she knew exactly what was in store for them.

Without another word, she hugged him, enticing a whole new set of howls from the crowd. The boy's mind had been completely clouded by then. Without bothering to think, he returned her embrace with equal warmth.

Something wasn't right.

Maybe it was her heavy breath against his neck, or the way her heart ached against his.

She was sad, and he could feel every inch of it.

"Reyna what's wrong?" he asked, holding her face right in front of his. Tears had welled up in her eyes, and for reasons that he couldn't understand, his eyes had welled up too.

"Rey, come on. Talk to me. Anything. Please." His voice had started to break.

Reyna pressed her forehead against his.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered, working past the lump in her throat.

Please. Not like this.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a voice boomed from the other end of the arena. It was none other than the crown prince himself, standing at a stage mere inches above the mesh of steel. "I hope you're ready for something special!"

Blake turned to face him, his hand holding Reyna's. He was going to pay for this.

"Aw look at those two, can't get enough of each other."

Laughter echoed through the arena, all eyes fixed on their misery.

"Tonight, we celebrate the dawn of a new era." The prince raised his hands, his palms open in grandeur. "Yes, my fellow warriors! Our proud forces have eliminated every known fortress of mankind. The surface, is OURS!"

The crowd cheered in joy, shooting their arms into the air in perfect unison. "LONG LIVE VALHALLA!"

Blake could feel the earth shake from their roar.